Heretofore, most press and post-inflation systems presently in the art employ gravity conveyors, or a combination of gravity conveyors and belt-driven conveyors to transport the cured tire from the press to the post-inflator ring position after the tire is discharged from the curing press. The centering of the cured tire over the bottom ring of the post-inflator, after discharge from the press, presently employs manual adjustment of outboard centering rolls, a manual adjustable tire stop, or a manually adjustable photoelectric eye device. Other systems, transporting a workpiece from one point to another, have disclosed a variety of methods and apparatus developed for automatic control purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,780 uses a roller system to restrain the movement of batteries to a service area where they are filled with fluid. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,102,627; 3,302,768; and 3,960,260 perform specific conveyance and manipulation of workpieces known or associated with tire production. Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,155,242; 3,235,073; 3,785,195; 3,858,707; 4,049,500; 4,096,731; 4,148,400; and 4,149,620 describe other conveyance devices of interest in non-tire production facilities.
The present methods used in the art of tire production, and the manipulation of items found in related or other arts, fail to disclose the proper care and treatment necessary for centering an annular workpiece over a work station, particularly a cured tire over the post-inflator apparatus. In the latter circumstance, failure to properly center this cured tire results in a defective tire subject to a distorted post-inflation. Because the tolerances for centering a cured tire in the post-inflator apparatus are exacting, the need for an accurate method is readily seen. However, incorporating an accurate centering system with an automatic centering device is not taught by those skilled in the art and is greatly needed for the efficiency and accuracy of tire production in an automated technology.